Chapter 8, Crash and Burn

The holidays had come and gone. Kelly's mother and David's father were having a baby together, and they were getting married, which would make David and Kelly brother and sister. Nicole and Steve were spending every waking moment together, yet they still had not had sex. Donna was still seeing Clay, but he spent 70 of his time studying. He was amazingly smart. David hadn't met anybody since Bailey, and frankly, he didn't want to. Kelly still hadn't used the L word with Brandon. Michael and Brenda were still casually dating, nothing too serious coming of it yet. Ashley and Dylan were back to the happy fun loving couple they were before the Newlywed game.

Nicole and Steve had just gone out to eat, and were walking back to Steve's car. They got inside, but he didn't start the car immediately. He looked over at Nicole and put her face in his hand. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Nicole said, beaming. They both leaned in and kissed, when Nicole started taking off Steve's shirt. Steve pulled away, and looked at her seriously.

"You sure about this? I don't want you to feel pressured or anything here," Steve told her.

Nicole smiled, "I know you'd never pressure me. This is what I want, Steve."

Steve grinned ear-to-ear. He couldn't remember being happier in his entire life. In the short time they had been together, she had transformed him, and everyone could see it was for the better. He was truly in love, and he wanted to memorize everything about her this very moment. The innocence in her face and the positivity in her eyes. He'd never want to rush her into anything, but he knew by looking at her, that she was definitely ready. Being in love was the best feeling he could think of. Maybe even better than sex.

"If you're sure," Steve said, and Nicole lost her virginity then and there.

Donna and Clay were kissing in his dorm, when all of the sudden, things were about to be taken further than Donna would allow. She jumped back, and looked down. "Clay..."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Clay was a really, really nice guy. He was really understanding, and Donna figured he wouldn't be too upset if she told him what she was about to tell him. She took a deep breath, and looked up at him. "Clay, I...I can't have...I can't have sex."

"Why not?" Clay asked.

"I...I want to wait...Until I'm married, I mean," Donna replied.

"You what?" Clay asked, obviously not exactly thrilled.

"I'm sorry. I guess I should have told you sooner, but I couldn't just be like, 'Hey Clay, the weather's really nice today, I'm not going to have sex until I get married, You feel like taking a walk in the park? It's not exactly something you can just slide into a conversation," Donna told him, "Is this too weird for you?"

"Yeah, I think it is...I'm sorry Donna, but...but I-"

"Yeah, you need to have sex, I get it. Bye, Clay," Donna said, opening the door and walking out.

Brandon and Kelly were making out in Brandon's room, when Kelly pulled away. "Brandon?" she asked, trying to catch her breath, and he was doing the same.

"Yeah?"

"Why are you with me?" Kelly asked.

"What do you mean? You're sweet, you're funny, you listen when I talk to you, you're beautiful, why wouldn't I be with you?" Brandon asked.

"Sometimes I just feel so insecure around you, which is kind of weird for me. I used to be so confident about myself, and then you got me insecure. Not about my looks, but about my personality. I'm always wondering if I'm good enough for you," Kelly replied.

"Kelly?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you. You're more than enough for me," Brandon honestly answered.

"Really? You love me?" Kelly asked.

"Yeah."

"I love you, too. I've been feeling this way for a really long time, and I didn't want to say anything because I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way," Kelly said. She smiled, and they went back to kissing.

February had come, and Donna was feeling horrible. She was in Ashley and Nicole's room, talking to them, Brenda, and Kelly about her situation. She felt so awful. "It's not fair. What, is every guy going to break up with me over this sex issue?"

"No way," Ashley said, "Any guy who can't accept your decision isn't any good for you anyway. One day you'll find a guy who accepts your decision, and he'll love you, and he won't need the sex."

Donna smiled, "Thanks, Ashley."

"No problem."

Ashley heard the doorbell ring the next morning as she was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She opened the door, tooth brush in her mouth, and almost choked. "David! Hi."

He laughed a little, looking down at her pajamas. She was wearing green, brown, orange, and pink polka dot pants with a big, white T-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a pony-tail and she had absolutely no make-up on, except for the bit of eyeliner that hadn't come off overnight. "Bad timing?"

"I know, I look terrible," Ashley said embarrassedly.

David smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. You're beautiful."

Ashley smiled at him, "Thanks, David. You know, you're the sweetest guy I've ever known."

David cringed as she finished the sentence, and Ashley asked, "What's wrong?"

"Sometimes I just wish I weren't so 'sweet'. Girls all go for the bad guys. All girls want from guys like me is friendship," David answered.

"David, what girl wouldn't want a guy like you?"

"You," David replied flatly. Ashley's face fell, and then David felt this switch into the awkward phase. He sighed and said, "Let's just forget about it. We've been down this road before and I don't want to make things uncomfortable."

Ashley nodded. "So, what brings you here?"

"Just wanted to see if you were free to hang out," David replied.

"Sure. Wait here, and I'll get dressed," Ashley replied, running upstairs. While she was getting dressed, the phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Ash, it's me," Dylan said.

"Oh, hi Dylan. What's up?" Ashley asked as she put on some pants.

"Nothing. You want to hang out today?" Dylan asked.

"Sorry, I can't," Ashley replied, putting on socks and shoes.

"Going out?" Dylan asked.

"Yup."

"With who?"

"David," Ashley replied. For a second there, she was going to say Brenda or Kelly or something, but she didn't want to lie to him. Besides, if he got mad about the truth, that was his problem. She wouldn't just drop her friends because of his insecurities.

"Oh," Dylan said quietly.

"Is that a problem?" Ashley asked.

"No," Dylan said quietly, "I trust you, Ashley. Go have fun."

"Aw, look at how mature you're being," Ashley said, "I'm so proud of you. I love you so much, Dylan."

"I love you, too. Call me later, okay?"

"All right, bye."

Ashley put her hair half up, half down, put on some eyeliner, bronzer, and lip gloss, and ran back down stairs to David. She smiled, grabbed her purse, and asked, "So, where do you want to go?"

"Uh, we could grab something to eat at the Peach Pit, and catch a movie," David suggested.

"Sounds good. Hey, how come Bailey hasn't been by lately?" Ashley asked.

"We sort of broke up," David replied as they got into the car.

"What? Why? Please don't tell me it's because of what Dylan said," Ashley said.

"Yeah, kinda. But it was good that he said it. It wasn't fair to be with her when I didn't see it going anywhere," David replied.

"I guess you're right."

"Well, a very smart girl once told me that everything happens for a reason and all of the little things you say or do effect how your whole life will turn out," David said, quoting Ashley on the first day they met. Ashley smiled and blushed a little.

"You remembered my exact words?"

"You said some of the most powerful things I'd ever heard. You really got me thinking when you said that. I remember everything about that day. I met seven pretty unforgettable people that day, and now they're some of my best friends."

"Even Dylan?" Ashley asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm a little iffy about that one. Nah, if he makes you happy, then I'm happy," David said. He meant it too, though he did wish he was the one making her happy.

Ashley seemed to read his thoughts, "You make me happy too, David." He blushed and looked down a bit, "So, what do you remember about the first day we met?"

"Hm...let's see...You smelled like vanilla. You were wearing a black and blue striped t-shirt, with black pants, high heels, and you wore your hair the way it is today."

"Wow," Ashley said, amazed, "I'm really impressed."

Donna and Kelly decided to go out to lunch. Kelly was driving them to a diner that she used to go to once in a while when she was little. The girls were catching up on everything they hadn't had a chance to discuss lately. Kelly told Donna about her and Brandon saying I love you to one another. "We haven't even had sex yet, you know," Kelly said, apparently proud of herself.

"So, it's really going good for you two, huh?" Donna asked.

"It's going great. I've never felt this way before, Donna," Kelly responded, grinning ear to ear.

"I like the effect he has on you," Donna told her, "You two are really good for each other."

"I absolutely love him," Kelly responded.

But just then, a jeep crashed right into the side of Kelly's car. Donna screamed, and people came to help instantly. She was crying, her arm getting badly hurt, but she was really crying more for Kelly, who was unconcious. Donna didn't know what to do. "Kelly? Kelly!" she shouted in between sobs. Moments later, the cops and ambulences were all surrounding her. "Kelly!" Donna shouted, knowing it was useless. Kelly was out cold, blood covering her. Donna felt so helpless. She couldn't move her arm to reach out to Kelly. Some men put Kelly out into the ambulence, and then came back for Donna.

"Are you okay, miss?" one of the men asked.

"I'm fine, but...but my friend," Donna said helplessly, motioning her good arm toward Kelly.

"Here," he said, helping her inside the ambulence. They started trying to help Kelly, and Donna got her first good look at her. Her left ear was bleeding, her arm appeared broken, and she had a gash on the left side of her face. Her right side all seemed to be perfectly fine though. Donna was trying to be brave and not cry, but she couldn't help it. One of her very best friend's could be on the verge of death, and all she could do is stand by and watch.

They got to the hospital, and Kelly was transported in. Donna was taken to get a cast for her arm, and then she called Kelly's mother, and all of her friends to tell them about the accident. Everybody was there within twenty minutes.

"My god, Donna...What happened to her?" Ashley asked.

"I...I dunno. We were just talking one minute and the next some car comes slamming into Kelly's," Donna said nervously. Everybody sat there in a silence for a moment, thinking about Kelly. Donna walked over to Brandon and sat down. "Hey."

"Hey," Brandon said emotionlessly.

"The uh...The last thing she said before we got hit was that she loves you," Donna told him.

Brandon smiled a little bit, "Really?"

Donna nodded.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"My arm hurts, but I'm too worried to care," Donna thought for a second and said, "She's gonna be okay. She's gotta be."

"I really hope you're right," Brandon replied.

Everybody waited in silence in the waiting room. Ashley latched onto Dylan's hand, completely terrified. She stood up, "I'm going to get some coffee. Anybody want some?" she asked. David, Jackie, Brandon, and Brenda rose their hands.

"I'll help you out," Dylan said quietly, getting up and following her, "Ashley, are you okay?"

"I'm...I'm fine," Ashley said quietly.

"Your best friend got hit by a car," Dylan told her, "You're not fine. Why do you always have to be so tough?"

"It's who I am, Dylan. Crying doesn't change anything or fix anything. Nothing I say or do can help," Ashley told him quietly.

"I know it sucks to be helpless, Ash," Dylan said, putting his arm around her, "But you gotta let some of this sadness, this anger out once in a while. Bottling things up hurts more than it helps."

"And when was the last time you cried, Dylan?" Ashley snapped. Dylan took a second to think, but didn't reply, "Yeah, that's what I thought."

Ashley and Dylan brought coffee back to David, Jackie, Brandon, and Brenda and then sat back down. All they could do was wait. The clock seemed to be going slower and slower. But then, the doctor came out of Kelly's room. "Is she okay?" everybody asked at once.

"She should be," she replied, "Uh...she asked for her mother and one of you, uh, is Brandon here?"

"That's me," Brandon said, standing up and going in with Jackie.

Kelly was awake and fully bandaged on the bed. In spite of everything, she smiled at Jackie and Brandon. "Hi," she said quietly. It seemed like it was a struggle for her to speak.

"Hey Kel," Brandon said, taking her hand, and Jackie took the other one.

"How are you, honey?" Jackie asked, stroking her daughter's hair.

"In some pain, but the doctor said I should be fine. The car didn't hit me too hard, luckily, otherwise it could have been a lot worse," Kelly replied.

"We're so glad you're okay," Brandon said, bending down and kissing her on the cheek.

"Thanks," she said, squeezing his hand, which looked as if that took all the energy she had, "When can I leave?"

"I don't know," Jackie said, "I'll go find out from your doctor now." She smiled at her daughter, and left the hospital room, leaving just Brandon and Kelly.

"You know..." Brandon said with a smile, "Donna told me that the last thing you said before the accident was that you loved me."

"I do," Kelly replied with a grin, "very much. Oh my god, how's Donna? Is she okay?"

"Relax," Brandon said, putting his finger over her lips to shush her, "She's fine. Just a broken arm. She's really worried about you. Who do you want me to send in next?"

"Uh...Who's here?"

"Pretty much every person you've ever met," Brandon joked.

"Uh...Donna and Ashley," Kelly replied. Brandon nodded, kissed her on the top of the head, and walked out.

Kelly was in the hospital for three and a half more days, when she was finally released. She wouldn't be going to school for about a week, and her mother was waiting on her hand and foot. They all stopped by to see her and make sure she was doing all right. During all her free time, Kelly found herself wondering how she had been so lucky, between her amazing friends, family, and boyfriend.